As one of the biggest states in the country, Texas really packs a punch with what they have on offer — especially when it comes to universities. The state’s enormous landmass makes it a great home for plenty of colleges from north to south, and you can probably find a great school in whichever institution you choose.
But when it comes to Texas schools that offer psychology degrees for students, there are a few that stand high above the rest. These schools have amazing student life, supportive staff, and some of the best psychology courses in the state.
They also prepare their students for post-grad life in the form of internships and teaching positions available to those who are still in their undergraduate education.
Anyone can get a great psychology education, but the schools on this list will help you take your education and experience to the next level so that you can enter into the next chapter of your life prepared for whatever comes next.
What can you do with a psychology degree?
Psychology degrees are some of the most popular programs of study in the country. If you choose to pursue this area of study, you’ll be one of many students looking to better understand the human experience.
But what can you do after you earn your degree?
If you don’t want to continue your education and go on to complete further study within the field, there are plenty of career options that are great for psychology majors who can use their skills in a variety of different roles.
While most careers in the field of psychology do require further schooling, the degree itself is quite versatile. As a liberal arts degree, psychology can help give students the skills they need in order to succeed in a variety of different careers.
Psychology teaches students about the ways that the mind works, which can be transferable to many other areas of work such as communications and marketing. Below are some of the career options that psychology undergraduate majors may choose to pursue after graduating with their degree.
- Human Resources Manager
- Communications Director
- Program Coordinator
- Counselor
- Teacher
The University of Texas at Austin
While there are many amazing schools to study psychology, the University of Texas at Austin is certainly one of the best in the state. UT Austin's psychology program combines a phenomenal course load with excellent faculty for both a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science in psychology (yes, you heard that right, there are two degree options for psychology at this school).
At UT Austin, students can learn all of the necessary basics about psychology. But they can also learn to apply it as well.
The University of Texas at Austin has a select number of teaching assistant positions available to undergraduate students within the psychology majors. These teaching assistantships can give students direct teaching practice before they’ve even entered a more specialized program that one might find in graduate school. This is rare as most schools only offer TA positions to graduate students.
And the best part? The teaching assistant positions are paid! So for students seeking to make a little extra cash while also learning will want to apply for this opportunity. But that’s not all the university has to offer inside or outside of its psychology degree.
UT Austin’s psychology degrees are fairly standard in terms of the course material they teach, but where the university really shines is its student life.
At the University of Texas at Austin, you’ll live the college dream. This school is one of the largest in the nation and has amazing sports teams where the university’s thousands of students can cheer on their favorite athletes. But if you’re not a sports person, don’t worry. UT Austin still has plenty for you.
There are dozens of clubs and extracurriculars that students can get involved in. Not to mention all of the academic support systems the university offers students who may want a little extra help with their studies. Some of these services include undergraduate learning and writing centers along with writing services, where students can access one-on-one peer and instructor coaching. Because while student life is where the University of Texas at Austin excels, we can’t forget about those pesky academics.
However, as a student at UT Austin, you might find that you don’t even need to seek out one-on-one instruction. With only 1,300 students in the psychology major out of a student population of over 50,000, you’ll likely be able to get focused instruction with all the perks of a big school. UT Austin is a win-win for us and might just be the perfect place for you to pursue a psychology degree.
Texas A&M University
While there are plenty of schools in Texas where you can have a killer college experience, there are not many where you get a phenomenal education, amazing student life, and top-notch post-graduation prep.
Staying inside the college bubble is great — you should be trying to live in the moment as much as you can — but it’s also essential to try and set yourself up for after graduation. It might seem like a long way away, but college graduation will creep up on you fast. You’ll want to be prepared.
Texas A&M University can help you do that.
The psychology degree at Texas A&M is one of the best in the state for its rigor and specialized courses of study. But it also makes this list because of its amazing opportunities that help students succeed once they leave the shelter of the university.
Texas A&M works with students to get them paired with research positions, internship roles, and scholar programs.
Perhaps the university’s coolest program for post-grad prep is the Teacher Scholar Program. This opportunity gives students the chance to gain experience in educational programs, which is crucial to understand psychology and the scientific practices behind it. The Teacher Scholar Program is aimed at students who are interested in teaching after they earn their degree, and works to equip them in the best way possible to excel at instructing the next generation of psychology students.
Students eligible for this program must be juniors or seniors, so while it might be a long way off for freshmen interested in applying, it is still something incoming psychology majors should keep on their radar.
Rice University
At one of the best private universities in the state, you can get a great education in psychology, or any other major. Like many other universities that offer psychology as a degree of study, Rice University gives students an enviable education throughout their four years of undergraduate studies.
Rice University makes sure to cover all of the basics within its psychology education. Students must take foundational classes within the field such as Statistical Methods and Introduction to Social Psychology, but they are also expected to partake in research endeavors put on by other students, graduate students, and faculty at the university.
The chance to participate in real-life, important research is quite unique to Rice University and is one of the reasons why some students choose this school to obtain their psychology degrees.
Rice University strongly encourages students to participate in research efforts so that they can have a better understanding of what psychology experiments do, and the impacts on their subjects. This type of hands-on learning is important for any degree, but especially in a degree such as psychology which has such immense influence over people’s lives.
Getting the opportunity to work in research groups with fellow psychology students in carefully conducted experiments should be a must-do for any student interested in brain science, and Rice University makes sure that their students have that chance.
Each one of the schools on this list has so much to offer incoming psychology students. From student life to internships, these universities make themselves stand out from the rest with their amazing psychology degree options. With these colleges, you’ll be sure to find exactly what you need from your psychology studies, both in school and beyond.
It might be difficult to choose just one school to attend from this list, but you can be sure that every one of these universities are some of the best colleges for psychology in Texas.
